Wegmans Recalls Pine Nuts Over Salmonella Concerns

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Wegmans Food Markets has recalled 5,000 pounds of pine nuts sold in the bulk foods department of its stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland after salmonella sickened 42 people.

The upscale grocery store chain says the pine nuts, imported from Turkey by Sunrise Commodities of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., were sold between July 1 and Oct. 18.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 26 people were sickened in New York, eight in Pennsylvania, four in Virginia, two in New Jersey and one person each in Arizona and Maryland. People began getting sick Aug. 20 and two patients were hospitalized, according to the CDC.

No deaths have been linked to the outbreak.

Salmonella bacteria can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. In some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

The recall applies only to Turkish pine nuts sold in bulk. The company called some customers who bought them.

Some Turkish pine nuts were eaten as an ingredient in prepared foods, such as Caprese salad or asparagus with pine nuts, according to the CDC.

Wegmans has 79 supermarket stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The pine nuts were not sold at Wegmans’ new store in Northborough, Mass.